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How to Use the US LCI Database

This guide explores the US Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Database, highlighting its role in supporting sustainable practices across industries such as electronics, automotive, and construction. Funded by various US federal agencies, the database emphasizes transparency, peer review, and adherence to ISO standards. It offers accessible data for product design, green building, waste management, and more, facilitating informed decision-making for stakeholders. The guide also includes methods for accessing and utilizing the database efficiently through automated importing into major LCA software.

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How to Use the US LCI Database

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  1. How to Usethe US LCI Database Gregory A. Norris Sylvatica / Harvard School of Public Health Wayne Trusty Athena Institute Jamie Meil Athena Institute

  2. Project Origins • North Americans are trying to take a life cycle perspective: • Product design / labeling by manufacturer • “Green” building design and rating • Policy (e.g., Integrated Solid Waste Management) • Purchasing (Labels, Env. Preferable Purchasing) • Major active sectors include • Electronics, Automotive, Building/Construction •  Tools in North America support life cycle design / selection of materials • NIST BEES • Athena

  3. Project Objective Transparent, Peer-reviewed, publicly-available LCI Data Relevant to North America

  4. Project Phases • I - Initiation • Develop research protocol / Establish research parameters • Prepare Phase II work program. • II - Inventory • Collect, analyze and review data • III - Ongoing • Disseminate data, maintain/expand database

  5. Project Status • Phase I completed 2002 • Phase II – Database development – underway • Project home: NREL • Project management: Athena Institute • Website / data host development: NREL • Peer review management: NREL • Consulting support to Athena: FAL, Sylvatica • Data development • Breadth of funders, consultants, data topics

  6. Project Funding • Phase I • US Department of Energy • US General Services Administration • US Naval Facilities Engineering Command • Phase II • US Department of Energy • US General Services Administration • US Naval Facilities Engineering Command • US Environmental Protection Agency • Vehicle Recycling Partnership (US Car Project) • US Forest Service

  7. Key Database Criteria • Consistent protocol meeting ISO guidelines and standards • transparent • representative • peer reviewed • Uniform treatment of all materials • Regional data development as necessary to reflect variations within and across sectors • Fully accessible in format(s) to maximize use

  8. Unit Process Emphasis • ISO Definition of “Unit Process” • The level at which data are gathered • US LCI Database Unit Processes: • Representative unit process  weighted mean of data for sample of processes • Transparency • Together with public availability • “World” provides secondary, ongoing peer review • Modularity within database • Modularity at point of use

  9. Data in Development • Fuels (including combustion) • Electricity • Transport • Bio-materials • Wood products • Plastics • Aluminum casting • Steel

  10. Additional near-termdata candidates • Cement • Brick • Minerals extraction • Non-ferrous metals • Electronics • Solid waste management processes

  11. Accessing the Database • http://www.nrel.gov/lci/ • Etc.

  12. Data/documentation format • Maximize use: • Automated import into major LCA software • Simple as possible for data providers • Interconnectivity with other LCI databases would be a plus

  13. Data documentation: ISO Technical Specification 14048 • Comprehensive taxonomy of documentation elements • Exhaustive and theoretical • Left aspects flexible, so that “ISO 14048-compliant” does not ensure effective exchange among users

  14. EcoSpold Format • Data and documentation format developed for major Swiss project to update, harmonize, inter-link LCI databases across institutes • Built on ISO 14048, SPOLD, SPINE • Operational • EcoSpold import being implemented by all major LCA tool developers • SimaPro, GaBi, TEAM, Umberto • XML • Spreadsheet format version (Excel)

  15. US LCI Database NREL US-ES S/L ES US-ES S/L Data Users LCA Software US LCI Project Approach: Streamlined US-ES Spreadsheet workbook template Data Provider

  16. Process Info

  17. Flow Info

  18. Source Info

  19. Person Info

  20. Summary • Transparent, peer-reviewed, publicly-available data relevant to North America • Data providers submit to NREL using US workbook: streamlined EcoSpold format • Users download in either: • EcoSpold format automated import to LCA software • US Streamlined EcoSpold spreadsheet • Documentation PDFs • User’s Guide

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